A DOMINICAN GM announced the long-term retention of an African-American manager and the baseball world yawned.

In a week when the first two black coaches making the Super Bowl produced storylines but not seismic waves, Omar Minaya stood at a podium at the SNY studios yesterday to welcome back Willie Randolph on a three-year extension and the color of their skin felt as pertinent as the color of their ties.

It was not this way after the 2004 season when the recently hired and first Latino GM in Met history introduced the organization’s first African-American manager. Back then, the pioneering element was front and center. Yesterday, not one question was asked on the subject during the formal part of the press conference.

Afterward, alone, both Randolph and Minaya stated that they did think it was a sign of positive advancement, but also that there is still a distance to go. That very much mirrored the realities of the organization for which they work: The Mets have come a long, long way, but as Minaya acknowledged, “we have made unbelievable change, but we are not where we want to get yet. I want to win a World Series.”

That would have sounded like a pipedream at that initial introductory press conference at Shea Stadium, with the wreckage of Art Howe in the manager’s office, Kaz Matsui at shortstop and Scott Kazmir shipped to Tampa still was so fresh. But just the locale of this press conference accentuated the gargantuan steps made by this organization.

SNY did not exist three years ago. Now a significant announcement was being made in its cramped studios as buses and hot dog pushcarts moved back on forth beyond the clear windows looking out on Sixth Avenue. A new home stadium in Flushing is under construction and a championship-caliber roster already has been built. The Mets are not laughingstocks. They are the defending NL East champions, finally the conquerors of the Braves, the “chasees and not the chasers” any longer in Minaya’s words.

Matsui is gone, replaced by Jose Reyes, arguably the most electrifying player in baseball. While the Kazmir deal still stings, the Mets are energized by the emergence of two of the majors’ finest pitching prospects, Mike Pelfrey and Phil Humber, and the potential of them joining a young nucleus that would include Reyes, David Wright and, perhaps, soon Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez. And, of course, the stench from the overmatched Howe has been fully fumigated.

Buck Showalter was blessed when named Yankee manager because he followed the reign of the uncouth and unprepared Stump Merrill. By comparison, Showalter could not help but look better. The same has been true for Randolph. The successor to Howe was going to shine in comparison unless the successor was Merrill.

But Randolph earned his three-year, $5.65 million extension on know-how, not just Art Howe. Minaya admitted unfamiliarity with Randolph upon his hiring. Minaya just had a gut feeling about Randolph and ignored all of his baseball training, which screamed to him to hire – especially in New York – someone who had past managing experience.

“This guy was turned down 10-12 times [for managing jobs] and I heard stories [about why], but my instincts told me this was the right man,” Minaya said.

To Minaya, Randolph as manager is Randolph as player; consistent, prepared, and passionate to work and win. He has helped change the culture at Shea. It was Club Met under Howe. Randolph isn’t thinking or hoping the Mets will win a championship. He is expecting it, demanding it. This was his dream job, to manage the team he rooted for as a youngster, and to him the dream ends in the Canyon of Heroes. Period.

After all the doubts through all those years when he interviewed and code words were used for why he wasn’t hired, Randolph has used the 97 wins last season, the grooming of Reyes and Wright, the insistence not to wallow in excuses even if Pedro Martinez could not lift his arm to prove he is fully capable of excelling as a manager in New York.